Truck ladder

ABSTRACT

The invention consists of a metal ladder to be used on large trucks of the open bed type to permit a person to climb up the ladder to look inside the open bed of the truck, said ladder being attached to the truck bed in such manner that it can be swung into position under the truck bed when not in use and can be pulled out, swung up and attached to the side of the truck for use.

United States Patent 1,568,846 H1926 Jones Elvie Lasiter P.O. Box 9, Caldwell, Kans. 67022 869,023

Oct. 24, 1969 Feb. 16, 1971 Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented TRUCK LADDER 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl Int. Cl. E06c 5/04 Field ofSearch .111: 1s2/97,ss

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,621,846 12/1952 Knibbs 182/88 2,657,940 1 1/1953 Davidson 182/97 3,508,627 4/1970 Lypko 182/97 Primary Examiner- Reinaldo P. Machado Attorney-Hurvitz & Rose ABSTRACT: The invention consists of a metal ladder to be used on large trucks of the open bed type to permit a person to climb up the ladder to look inside the open bed of the truck, saidladder being attached to the truck bed in such manner that it can be swung into position under the truck bed when not in use and can be pulled out, swung up and attached to the side of the truck for use.

' Patehtd F b; 16, 1971 M/VENTUR ELVIE TLHSITER ATTORNEYS ing the ladder into its two positions.

Tuner; LADDIZR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known to provide a stowable truck ladder which affords operators of automotive trucks a convenient means to climb up the side of a truck to gain access to the interior of the truck and to store said means underthe truck when such means is not in use. I

Attention is invited to U.S. Pat. to Henry J. Knibbs, No. 2,62I,846, patented Dec. 16, I952 which discloses a ladder construction which functions in. a similar manner to the present construction but employs a different construction of mounting the ladder in place and a different construction for storing the ladder when not in use.

In the present construction, in distinction to the Knibbs construction, a novel mounting arrangement is provided to obtain a more efficient construction for moving the ladder from an inoperative to an operative position. I

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention includes a novel arrangement for attaching the ladder to the truck bedwhereby two pivotal arrangements are provided to enable selective swinging of the ladder into operative position, a novel arrangement for securing the ladder in operative position and a novel arrangement for securing the ladder in inoperative position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of one side of a truck with the ladder secured in operative position.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of'a portion of the truck side shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a top bracket for anchoring theladderin operative position. f

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a universal bracket for swing- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a lower bracket for securing the ladder in its inoperative position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing in. detail, the truck body shown is of the open bed type and is generally indicated by numeral 10, with numeral ll denoting one of the sidewalls of-the truck. The ladder 12, of conventional rectangular configuration, is made of metal tubing and consists of conventional side rails 13, 14 and rungs I5 weldedtogether to form a rigid struc-, ture. A pair of short tubular members 16,17 are welded or otherwise secured to the outer" surfaces of rail members 13 and 14 for a purpose to be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the bed 18 of the truck includes transverse angle irons l9 and 20 rigidly secured to the underside of the bed 18 by screws 21. As seen in FIG. 4, a pin 22 bridges the two adjacent angle irons l9 and 20 and is securely attached to said depending legs of the angle irons. A T-shaped double swivel bracket 23 comprises a horizontal sleeve 24 surrounding said pin 22 and a vertical leg 25 extending through tubular member 16 on ladder 12 for pivotally and swivelly mounting the ladder on pin 22. The ladder is secured to bracket 23 by a cotter pin 26 passing through an opening 27 formed at the outer extremity of pin 25. .This arrangement permits the ladder to swing about thefpin 25 in a clockwise direction from a vertical position to a horizontal position, shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and2, and then pivoted about pin 22 in a direction away from the viewer to a position beneath the truck bed and secured in position in a manner to bedescribed.

As described above, the pin 25 is mounted in tubular member 16 whereby the ladder may swingin a clockwise direction. If desired, the bracket 23 maybe secured to the truck bed adjacent the tubular member 17, with the pin 25 extending through said tubular member 17 whereby the ladder may swing in a counterclockwise direction and then swing under the truck bed in the same manner as previously described.

As previously mentioned, means is provided to secure the ladder beneath the truck body when the ladder is in an inoperative position. The means for accomplishing this purpose comprises a storage bracket 28 consisting of a hollow member 29 suitably secured to the underside of the truck bed a short distance inwardly bf the outer side edge of the truck body as shown in detail in FIG. 5. A rigid bar 30 extends downwardly from member 29 and is adapted to pass through an opening 31 provided centrally of the top rung'l5 of the ladder 12, the lower end of bar 30 being provided with an opening 32 to receive a cotter pin 32 to anchor the ladder in inoperative position below the truck bed.

A further bracket is provided for securing the ladder in vertical or operative position on truck wall 10. This bracket designated as an upright locking bracket consists of a pair of spaced L-shaped structural members 34, 35 rigidly secured to wall 10 with the -projecting walls of said members rigidly supporting a pivot pin 36. Surrounding said pin 36 is a sleeve 37 from which a bar 38 extends, said bar adapted to enter opening 31 of the ladder when in operative position, said bar having an opening 39 to receive the cotter pin 33 to lock the ladder in operative position.

In the operation of the present invention, the following steps are followed to move the ladder from its operative upright position shown in FIG. 1 to its inoperative position below the truck bed when not in use. The first step in the operation is to remove cotter pin 33 from opening .39 and move the top ladder a slight distance away from the truck wall 11 to remove the pin 38 from opening 31. The ladder is then swung about pin 25 in a clockwise direction to a horizontal position as shown in dottedlines in FIGS. 1 and 2 and from this position the ladder is swung about pivot pin 22 away from the viewer in a flat position below the truck bed 18. In this latter position, bar 30 passes through opening 31 of rung 15 and by passing cotter pin 33 through the opening 32 in bar 30, the ladder is locked in operative position. To bring the ladder back into operative position, the aforementioned steps are reversed.

I claim:

1. A demountable ladder for use on truck bodies and the like, comprising in combinatioma ladder having side rails connected by a plurality of rungs, a double swivel bracket mounted below said truck body adjacent one side edge thereof, said bracket having a portion thereof pivotally secured to a lower portion of one of the side rails of the ladder whereby theladder can be swung to a position below said truck body, a second bracket mounted below said truck body for cooperation with the top portion of said ladder for locking said ladder in aninoperative position below said truck body, and an upright locking bracketmounted on a sidewall of said truck body and cooperating with the top portion of the ladder for locking the ladder to the truck wall in an operative position.

2. A demountable ladder as defined in claim 1, said second bracket having a depending bar, an opening formed in the top portion of said ladder for receiving said depending bar and locking means on said depending bar for locking said bar within said opening.

3. A demountable ladder as defined in claim 1, said upright locking bracket being pivotally mounted to said truck body wall, a bar extending from said bracket, an opening formed in the top portion of said ladder for receiving said extending bar and locking means on said extending bar for locking said bar within said opening.

4. A ladder as defined in claim I, said second bracket having a depending bar, an opening formed in the top portion of said ladder for receiving said depending bar, locking means on said depending bar for locking said bar within said opening, said upright locking bracket being pivotally mounted on said truck body wall, a bar extending. from said bracket and adapted to extend through said ladder opening and locking means on said extending bar forlocking said bar within said opening.

6. A ladder as defined in claim 5, said locking means consisting of an opening formed in the outer end of each of said bars and a cotter pin received in each of said openings 

1. A demountable ladder for use on truck bodies and the like, comprising in combination, a ladder having side rails connected by a plurality of rungs, a double swivel bracket mounted below said truck body adjacent one side edge thereof, said bracket having a portion thereof pivotally secured to a lower portion of one of the side rails of the ladder whereby the ladder can be swung to a position below said truck body, a second bracket mounted below said truck body for cooperation with the top portion of said ladder for locking said ladder in an inoperative position below said truck body, and an upright locking bracket mounted on a sidewall of said truck body and cooperating with the top portion of the ladder for locking the ladder to the truck wall in an operative position.
 2. A demountable ladder as defined in claim 1, said second bracket having a depending bar, an opening formed in the top portion of said ladder for receiving said depending bar and locking means on said depending bar for locking said bar within said opening.
 3. A demountable ladder as defined in claim 1, said upright locking bracket being pivotally mounted to said truck body wall, a bar extending from said bracket, an opening formed in the top portion of said laddeR for receiving said extending bar and locking means on said extending bar for locking said bar within said opening.
 4. A ladder as defined in claim 1, said second bracket having a depending bar, an opening formed in the top portion of said ladder for receiving said depending bar, locking means on said depending bar for locking said bar within said opening, said upright locking bracket being pivotally mounted on said truck body wall, a bar extending from said bracket and adapted to extend through said ladder opening and locking means on said extending bar for locking said bar within said opening.
 5. A ladder as defined in claim 4, said opening formed in the top portion of said ladder being located midway of the top rung of said ladder.
 6. A ladder as defined in claim 5, said locking means consisting of an opening formed in the outer end of each of said bars and a cotter pin received in each of said openings. 